A list of a few recent developments in the world of health information technology (Health IT).
If you have been wondering about the developments in the world of health information technology (health IT), following are a few leads that can bring you up to speed:
1. Wearables and HIPAA
The Apple Watch, Fitbit, and several other devices have captured the consumer imagination and their wallets. Exercise geeks and those who are not have all jumped on to the bandwagon of wearable fitness devices that track your wellness habits and nudge you to do more. Innovators are now dabbling with connecting these consumer gadgets to doctors and specialists to reduce wait times during a clinic visit. But are we thinking about the security risks and privacy infringement posed by such advances? Are we ready to let go of HIPAA—the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996—the law created to protect patient privacy? Read more here.
2. Patients Have More Online Access
According to the American Hospital Association, more than 90% of hospitals in the nation provide patients access to their medical records, in addition to other tasks such as request changes and share referral summaries. This number has doubled since 2013, and there’s also been an increase in some of the other tasks that patients can perform on these digital platforms. Read more here.
3. EHR Switches and Patient Outcomes
Turns out they are not disruptive. A study published in the BMJ assessed the short term association of inpatient implementation of EHRs and readmissions, adverse events, and mortality. At least in the 17 hospitals included in the study, who had a “go live” date during 2011 and 2012, researchers did not observe a significant difference in the 30-day mortality or rate of adverse events among Medicare patients following implementation. The 30-day readmission rates actually reduced a little post implementation.
4. EHR and Ransomware
HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) now has numbers from 2014 on the impact of electronic health record (EHR) downtime on patient care. While 60% of hospitals experienced an EHR outage, only 25% said it delayed care delivery, according to the HHS report. The top reasons for these outages include power failure, hardware malfunctioning, connectivity issues, and natural disasters. Hackers, on the other hand, were attributed only 1% of downtime incidents. How’s that possible? We have seen a spate of cyberattacks on healthcare systems and patient databases in recent years, including the one on Anthem, Premera Blue Cross, and 21st Century Oncology. The reason is that the OIG numbers date back to 2014 and a lot of these cybercrimes spiked the following year. Read more about OIG’s plans here.
5. Demolishing Silos, Joining the Dots, and Adding Value
It goes without saying that information sharing is healthy business. But it’s not an easy task—disparate data systems are one of the many challenges on the way. However, platforms are being developed that can make the process more cohesive and allow smoother workflows with inbuilt checks and performance metrics that analyze both patient and physician performance. Companies like COTA and Flatiron Health have joined the movement of value-based healthcare to help physicians perform better through a learning healthcare system.
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December 8th 2023At last year’s San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, POSITIVE trial primary outcome data were presented on breast cancer–free interval, with women who paused endocrine therapy to attempt pregnancy having a similarly small rate of recurrence vs external controls from the SOFT and TEXT trials: 8.9% vs 9.2%.
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Emily Goldberg Shares Insights as a Genetic Counselor for Breast Cancer Risk Screening
October 30th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Emily Goldberg, MS, CGC, a genetic counselor at JScreen, breaks down how genetic screening for breast cancer works and why it is so important to increase awareness and education around these screening tools available to patients who may be at risk for cancer.
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Examining Telehealth Uptake to Increase Equitable Care Access
January 26th 2023To mark the publication of The American Journal of Managed Care®’s 12th annual health IT issue, on this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Christopher M. Whaley, PhD, health care economist at the RAND Corporation, who focuses on health economics issues, including the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care delivery.
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What We’re Reading: ChatGPT in Health Care; Menthol Ban Meeting; Health System Cyberattack Impact
November 30th 2023ChatGPT is changing health care while also raising questions about artificial intelligence's promises and limitations; 24 Biden officials met with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives to discuss the FDA’s proposal to ban menthol cigarettes; a recent hospital cyberattack shows how the vulnerability of health care systems can put patients at risk.
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Provisional CDC data show that US babies gained roughly a year in life expectancy in 2022; study findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly raised the risk of preterm birth for expectant California mothers; New York Attorney General Letitia James said about 4 million New Yorkers were affected by a data breach of the medical transcription company Perry Johnson & Associates.
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